One in the Same
by MeLaiya
Summary: Inuyasha's childhood was full of hurt and pain, but did he have anyone besides his mother to help him through it?


**Disclaimers**: Please don't sue me I am very poor. Don't own Inuyasha, wish I did but I don't.

**Pairings**: none at first, they're kids for crying out loud!

**Rating**: R now, more later.

**Title**: One in the Same

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One in the Same: Chapter One

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The sun seemed to absorb itself into an unusually arranged mop of coal black hair as one clear dark hazel-green eye peered over the edge of an elaborately decorated gate. The little round pupil rolled to the right, then to the left, then to the right again, then once more to the left, then did one more round just to be on the safe side. (Hey ya never know who may be lurking around)

Well, one had to be sure of their _clear_ surroundings before committing acts that could possibly get one's hands painfully separated from the rest of their body. At least that's the way this particular thief felt about it and he happened find himself particularly fond of his five fingered appendages. Thank you very much. (So, moving on.)

The slight boy leapt over the wide gate with the agility of a fox, and landed with the grace of a rock.

"Uugh, definitely gotta work on those landings," he quietly muttered to himself. "Oh well. Bearing the pain in my ass is definitely a hell of a lot better than dealing with the pain in my stomach, now for some much deserved munchies." The boy said with a goofy if not, somewhat malicious grin, and he took off as fast as his little legs could carry him towards his intended prey.

Running full throttle to the impregnated apple tree across the lush garden, the boy never noticed the sounds of impacting flesh or small pain filled cries and whimpers coming from the north wall of the grand house he was currently sneaking onto the grounds of.

"Ha, this is perfect. No ones around and I have this lovely beautiful tree all to myself. Oh whatever will I do with all these plump, juicy, delicious apples?"

With that thought the little thief's happy expression quickly melted into a sneer directed at the lavishly decorated house behind the tree. "I'll take as many as I can carry when I'm finished eating as many as I can, "he said with conviction."

"Bah, it's not like the rich snobs would even notice any missing anyway. They're probably just using it for decoration or something just as stupid... and wasteful," he added as an after-thought.

"Humph, oh well," he muttered, "more for me I suppose." With a derisive snort, the boy hefted his much too thin frame onto the lowest branch before making his way deeper into the multicolored leaves while gathering an array of mud brown twigs and leaves into his rumbled and dirty array of plaits.

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The silver haired youth ran with the speed of a demon or at least a half demon. The side of his very being that had caused him and his mother so much pain and so many difficulties. Pain that one so young should never have had to suffer through. His mother had warned him not to wander to far away from the west wing, to stay where she could see and protect him; but he was tired of always having to stay by his mother's side like a helpless pup. He would watch with envy whenever he snuck off to watch the other children playing in the village's large square just outside the walls of the house. How could he not when he could hear their shouts of laughter and see the obvious joy they gained from simply being in one another's presence. It got lonely only playing with one's self, sometimes his mama would play with him but the other boys and girls seemed to be having so much more fun with each other. He just wanted someone his own age to play with as well; and it was that little notion that had gotten him into this little predicament in the first place.

He didn't completely understand why the servants always gave him and his mother strange or scornful looks behind their backs or why he was never allowed outside of his mother's sight or the walls of the house. He would watch from various hiding spots as other men of neighboring houses would not so much as glance in his mothers direction unless absolutely necessary and then it would be with barley concealed contempt and disgust. The ladies of other houses were not much better, throwing his mother scathing glares and whispering into one another's ears behind finely polished nails.

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"There he is, get him!" Screamed an angry voice. "Don't let the little bastard get away!"

Inuyasha whipped his head around just in time to see the fist sized rock flying straight for his head. He tripped, his bare feet snagging on an upturned root just as the rock whizzed over his head; saving his skull from a very painful encounter. The fall may have saved his skull but it slowed him down greatly.

He tried to get up using every bit of energy he had to rise and run, but he was so very tired and hurt. The village children had not taken kindly to his request to join in their play, immediately attacking him. Hell, he was lucky to get away from them relatively unscathed. It wasn't until one of the little boys holding him down had made a very wrong move and hit him in the base of his spine that he'd even thought to retaliate.

The boy had cried out in a hideous, agony-filled shriek when he felt the tiny but sharp canines of an inu-child sink into the flesh of his arm. Inuyasha had only reacted to the pain the boy had inflicted, barely registering the metallic taste of blood in his haste to escape the pain. But that single bite had been enough for the other terrified children to run away to their parents, screaming of a rabid demon attacking them.

Inuyasha only had time to gather himself and run for his life as mothers gathered their terrified children to their skirts and men came after him with a horrible rage and prejudice.

They wanted blood and they were determined to get it.

Spitting the horrible taste of human blood out of his mouth, Inuyasha ran as if the very hounds of hell were on his heels.

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"Inuyashaaaaaa!!!!! Inuyasha where are you?" Cried a woman's voice.

The moons silver rays peeked from behind the dark clouds of the night to reveal a beautiful young woman dressed in the heavy robes of a lady of the house. Her dark raven hair reached nearly to her ankles and blew in the nights breeze as she walked quickly, nearly running in her haste. Her small slippered feet walked brusquely through the courtyard searching for her missing charge. Dark midnight violet eyes quickly scanning the surrounding area in order to find the little hanyou.

"Inuyashaaaa!" She cried again, her voice growing frantic and more worried with each moment that the small boy did not answer her calls. She lowered her head as she kicked a small round object with her next step. The little red ball bounced and rolled, finally coming to a complete stop at the base of the house's large apple tree. "Oh my little moon, where are you? "She asked the bright red ball. "Why haven't you come back to me?"

Her son's only toy could give no answer, not that she really expected one from the inanimate object but it made her feel a little better to ask out loud. She bent to pick up the ball just as she heard the swish of the paper screen door being slid open.

"Lady Ayeko." Asked the thin servant girl standing just in the doorway of Ayeko's personal quarters.

"Yes, what is it Minako?" She whispered clutching the small red toy to her breast._ "Inuyasha, it worries me so when you are no where to be found. Please come home to me, your all I have my little love."_

The girl, Minako, stood in the doorway watching the woman most knew as the '_Demon's Bride'_ clutch the toy that belonged to what many knew as the _'little abomination.' _She knew the small hanyou child to be a sweet and timid little boy that just happened to have the blood of a demon lord running through his veins.

Being the personal handmaiden of the lady of the house, she had seen many things that had opened her eyes to the little family that consisted of a hanyou child and his mother. And she pitied them greatly, especially the child. She would accept the boy, as would his mother of course; but the world would never look past the boy's fangs and claws to see the true heart and soul beneath it all.

"Mi-lady, the lord of the house wishes to speak with you in his champers, immediately." She added as an after thought.

Ayeko sighed wearily casting her tearful gaze into the stars of the night. "Please let him be alright." She whispered quietly. With one more glance over the high gate separating her from the rest of the world, and probably her son, she turned to follow Minako into her home; still clutching the small red ball tightly.

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It hurt. It hurt so badly he could barely walk with the horrible stinging pain. Blood oozed from the boys numerous wounds, mixing with the dirt and tears on his small chubby face. But nothing compared to the pain in his back and rear. The fresh blood running from the base of the boys spine, invisible through the red of his fire rat coat and pants, but dripping slowly through the cuff and staining his bare feet a rusty brown.

"_Inuyashaaaaaa." _The boy's small white ears stood at full attention with the sound of his name being called. His attackers had thankfully left the sensitive appendages alone, focusing their angry blows on his small body instead. He stopped his slow progress to listen again, just to make sure. He waited a full five minutes, thinking maybe it was just his imagination before he heard the voice again.

"_Inuyashaaaaaa." _The voice cried again, sounding a little more frantic this time. Yes, it was her, she was looking for him. Inuyasha gathered his remaining strength, despite his wounds and began to run as fast as his injuries would allow.

"Mamma," he croaked. He coughed a few times, calling to his mother once more. "Mamma!" He cried a little louder. His voice was raw from the screams of pain and humiliation the villages had inflicted upon his tiny frame, but he had to get to her voice.

"I just have to fallow her voice and I'll be home, just fallow the sound of her voice."

He didn't care how much it hurt his tattered lungs to call out to her, he didn't care how much more blood he lost running at full speed, all he cared about was getting home and being safely wrapped in his mothers warm embrace again.

But with the second call the voice faded once more, failing to return for a third beckoning. "No, mamma," he gasped. "Please," he croaked through parched, cracked lips. "Please wait for me, I'm coming."

He turned his head up to the bright moon-lit sky, sniffing the air to better find his way home. The blood running from his hairline was blurring his vision, he couldn't see all that well but he didn't need to see if he could only catch his mothers scent; or the scent of the main house.

"Mamma." He cried again, slowing his break neck pace. It hurt too much, he couldn't take another step. Inuyasha fell to his knees, trying in vain to crawl the rest of the way before that plan failed him and he fell to the ground completely. "Mamma." He gasped again as his vision began to fade. "Please mamma, I want to come home. I don't like it out here."

Inuyasha's tear filled golden eyes closed with one final sob as he lost the battle with consciousness. The dark cloudy sky was the only witness to his plea for the only person who'd ever truly cared for him as he lay unconscious in the cold night. Merely a few scant feet away from the high wall separating his childhood home from first true glimpse into the real world.

The cold wind blowing in from he east carried away the soft desperate breath of a child crying for its mother.

"Ma-ma."

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Ok, well. This has been floating around my head and my hard drive for months and I finally got the balls to post it. Hope it didn't suck too badly, but hey Reviews are a girl's best friend ya know. This...if it does well, is going to be very long, starting from inuyasha's childhood to the time he spends with kagome and the others. Yes it does have an Oc named Hoseki well get more into him later or if ya wanna know more just e-mail me.


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